Pipiolas

PIPIOLAS "Pipiolas" LP/LP Deluxe

When a band titles an album with its own artistic name, it is sending a clear message: this is what there is—no filters, no gimmicks—just the brutal honesty that comes with writing a handful of songs and showing them to the world, revealing yourself as you truly are. Paula and Adriana leave behind the introduction to the world that was their debut album, “No Hay Un Dios”, released two and a half years ago, and with their new, self-titled record they face the bitterest side of what they have wanted to be in life: artists. They themselves tell us:

“Pipiolas” is the result of a break during which we had to answer who we are and whether we still have anything more to say. This album is the answer. From a more adult place, we accept the distortion that maturity entails. We chose as our language the sound that accompanied us when uncertainty was still wild and fun; we take responsibility for ourselves and decide, with all of this, to stay: to keep writing lyrics, to keep making music even when things suddenly become completely serious. We are no longer pipiolas, but we will always be free as long as we remember ourselves that way.

And that maturity, that realization of all their dreams, is evident in several ways. The first is that “Pipiolas” is a concept album. Its songs respond to a vital and musical moment; they are not a compendium of unconnected compositions so typical of today’s urgent times that platforms suffocate. That is why it asks to be listened to again and again. Each new listen enriches the result and brings us closer to everything incredible this record contains. Another aspect already hinted at in their earliest compositions is their lyrics, through which they offer us the voice of an anguished and disappointed generation, something they can express especially clearly as women, directly and without limitation. In this respect, the chorus of “No Tocar” delivers the devastating line “Yo lo que quiero es quedarme en una cueva” (What I want is to stay in a cave), in lyrics radically eloquent in the shadow of men; “No es cosa grave, esto se asume / Fui feliz hasta donde pude” (It’s not a serious thing, this is accepted / I was happy as far as I could) they sing in “Hasta Donde Se Pudo”, where they once again address the topic of mental health; and in “NaNaNa” they present themselves like this: “Ya no me tomo diazepam ni pastillas / Ahora soy una muerte viviente” (I don’t take diazepam or pills anymore / Now I’m a living dead).

The album opens with a cover version of the Broadway classic “My Favorite Things”, which speaks of finding joy and comfort in those favorite things that help us overcome sadness or difficult moments. But all this grounding has not diminished the freshness of his melodies in the slightest. A mix of MECANO, Italo disco, Madonna, CHAPELL ROAN, Europop, and BANANARAMA, with production by Vau Boy and mastering by Xavier Alarcón, PIPIOLAS continue to remind us of the importance of dance as liberation, as exorcism, as emotional expression, and they maintain a cheeky, irreverent pop spirit. They capture the energy of their live format, but focused on concision thanks to arrangements that polish melodies as forceful as those of “soy una estrella!!!”, “No Tocar”, “Ahora que…” or “Poemas”. And they raise the emotional voltage when the moment calls for it, as happens in “ay, querida”, “Mi Amiga” and “Menores”.

And that vital, hopeful message embodied by “Feria Cañete” is what closes the album. It tells us they are going to fight, that they have come to stay, that their path will be their own milestone. Less pipiolas (in Spanish is a young, amateur, or inexperienced person) than yesterday, but more PIPIOLAS than ever.

TRACKLIST: 01 ⁠My Favorite Things  02 ⁠Finita La Commedia  03 ⁠No Tocar  04 ⁠soy una estrella!!!  05 ⁠NaNaNa  06 ⁠Hasta Donde Se Pudo 07 ⁠ay, querida  08 ⁠Ahora que...  09 ⁠Mi Amiga  10 Poemas  11 ⁠Menores  12 ⁠Feria Cañete